Abu Dhabi-based Changer. ae Limited has signed a memorandum of understanding with DeScript Labs INC to explore merchant payment infrastructure that would allow customers to pay with digital assets while businesses receive settlement in UAE dirhams.The agreement brings together Changer’s regulated custody and conversion capabilities with DeScript Labs’ merchant technology infrastructure, including its PayTheFly solution. The companies aim to develop compliant routes for digital asset acceptance across sectors where high-value payments, international clients and alternative settlement options are becoming more relevant.
The proposed model is designed to address a central concern for merchants: exposure to cryptocurrency price volatility. Under the framework being explored, a customer could use digital assets for payment, while the merchant would receive converted AED funds, preserving the accounting, treasury and cash-flow familiarity of fiat settlement. Custody, conversion, compliance checks and settlement would be handled through regulated infrastructure rather than left to merchants to manage directly.
Changer. ae Limited is based in Abu Dhabi Global Market and operates under the oversight of the Financial Services Regulatory Authority. The company is licensed to provide custody services, arrange deals in investments and deal in investments as agent. Its platform is positioned around secure storage and management of digital assets for retail and professional clients.
DeScript Labs INC provides digital asset settlement and merchant technology solutions aimed at real-world commerce. Its role in the partnership is expected to centre on merchant-facing infrastructure, including payment acceptance, transaction routing and settlement support through PayTheFly.
The companies see the collaboration as particularly relevant for real estate, automotive and luxury retail, where customers may seek to complete large purchases using digital assets. Those sectors have been among the most closely watched areas for digital asset payment adoption in the UAE because transactions are higher in value, international buyers are active, and settlement efficiency can affect deal execution.
The MoU also covers potential commercial clearing solutions for corporate entities. That part of the collaboration would explore how digital assets can be converted into fiat currency on behalf of corporate partners, supporting treasury operations and cross-border transaction flows between digital asset holders and conventional business networks.
The deal comes as the UAE continues to build a layered regulatory environment for virtual assets, payment tokens and digital finance. Abu Dhabi Global Market was among the earliest regional financial centres to create a dedicated virtual asset framework, while Dubai has built its own regime for virtual asset service providers. The Central Bank of the UAE has also moved to regulate payment token services, adding another layer of oversight for activity that touches payments and fiat settlement.
For merchants, the appeal of such arrangements lies less in holding crypto on their balance sheets and more in gaining access to customers who prefer to use digital assets while maintaining settlement in local currency. That distinction has become important as businesses weigh the commercial upside of accepting crypto-linked payments against compliance, volatility, operational and reputational risks.
The UAE’s wider digital asset ecosystem has expanded through licensed exchanges, custodians, fintech firms, stablecoin-related initiatives and institutional partnerships. Global and regional players have been drawn to the country by regulatory clarity, tax positioning, high cross-border commerce and a policy drive to develop digital finance as part of broader economic diversification.
Merchant adoption, however, remains dependent on safeguards. Businesses need clarity on customer due diligence, sanctions screening, transaction monitoring, refund handling, chargeback alternatives, tax treatment and reconciliation. Payment models that convert digital assets into AED before settlement are intended to reduce some of those hurdles, but they still require strong compliance controls and clear contractual allocation of responsibility between technology providers, custodians and merchants.
The Changer-DeScript Labs arrangement is structured as an MoU rather than a full commercial rollout, meaning operational details, launch timing, eligible merchants and supported digital assets have not yet been fully disclosed. Any eventual product or service offering would be expected to depend on regulatory permissions, partner onboarding and the completion of technical and compliance integration.
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UAE